Mental health - will it bar me from entry?

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Crow

I'm looking for some information from someone in the know and/or someone who's been there.

I have applied to join the Army and I have been told that my medical forms have been completed by my GP and have now been sent to the Army doctors.

I am now nervous as hell because I know that my previous medical history is going to be scutinised by doctors who have never met me.

Basically after a series of bad luck about 4 years ago I made a concious decision to take my life, I failed and went to see my GP the next day who admitted me to hospital. I was diagnosed as having reactionary depression. After a month in hospital I was discharged and took anti depressants for about 2 months at this time I realised I didn't need the meds and took myself off them.

I had faced my demons and I beat them, I am a better man now through my expiriences, than I was before. Something a doctor reading a form could not possibly judge.

I am worried that the Army doctors will not give me a chance to join even though I have no issues now and I am completely healthy.

Hopefully someone here will give me a solid answer as to what my chances are. From the information i have found on the net the condition I had is not on the list of conditions that automatically bar entry.

War Hero

LE

Just go for it mate. I've no experience or direct knowledge of this myself, but yours is a common question asked on these boards. From what I've read on here, normally there is a two year rule, where you have to be medication free for that amount of time.

And I may be wrong RE*, but I would have thought a psych assesment would be able to determine if he is at risk?

Anyway, good-luck and you wont find out if you don't apply... So go for it

A_L

*Just read REs sig... he's a 16 year old kid, so don't take too much notice!

LE

Your GP will write what he sees on you and the SMO will probably ask for further information ie. letters from hospital/consultants. It will be dealt with case by case and in confidence by the SMO but to be honest with you applicants who discussed it with me (tried not to get involved and explained it was confidential) who went a head with it all got bad news back. This isnt to say it will be bad news for you but you have also got to realise that they have to have an umbrella in this type of case and protect all parties. I hope things go well for you but expect the worst with this and good luck to the future what ever happens to you.

War Hero

I'm looking for some information from someone in the know and/or someone who's been there.

I have applied to join the Army and I have been told that my medical forms have been completed by my GP and have now been sent to the Army doctors.

I am now nervous as hell because I know that my previous medical history is going to be scutinised by doctors who have never met me.

Basically after a series of bad luck about 4 years ago I made a concious decision to take my life, I failed and went to see my GP the next day who admitted me to hospital. I was diagnosed as having reactionary depression. After a month in hospital I was discharged and took anti depressants for about 2 months at this time I realised I didn't need the meds and took myself off them.

I had faced my demons and I beat them, I am a better man now through my expiriences, than I was before. Something a doctor reading a form could not possibly judge.

I am worried that the Army doctors will not give me a chance to join even though I have no issues now and I am completely healthy.

Hopefully someone here will give me a solid answer as to what my chances are. From the information i have found on the net the condition I had is not on the list of conditions that automatically bar entry.

whats to say, and it is very possible in todays forces you see something you dont like ...bodies etc...
you will not go of on one and possibly endanger your closest mates lives...
if there is any chance you are a liability then foreget the Forces..

Clanker

Well, I'm in a similar boat. It actually turned out to be a bad diagnosis by my doctor (I never had depression all along, just had a sh!te time for it over a couple of months) and the pills they had given me made me loopy, to the point where I got drunk and took a load of them. The folks at the hospital then said my GP was a pillock and all I needed was some structure in my life. I now have that structure, and I'm grand! Reckon this will cause any problems with my application?

LE

Well, I'm in a similar boat. It actually turned out to be a bad diagnosis by my doctor (I never had depression all along, just had a sh!te time for it over a couple of months) and the pills they had given me made me loopy, to the point where I got drunk and took a load of them. The folks at the hospital then said my GP was a pillock and all I needed was some structure in my life. I now have that structure, and I'm grand! Reckon this will cause any problems with my application?

Personally, as an inexperienced guy, i'd say there will be some dispute over it, it's a bit f*cked up how they rely on doctors to be perfectly correct and don't question that, in my inexperienced opinion

Swinger

im in a simmilar position mate if it fails with regs go ta go on tour and slip in the back way as you will have proved that u r ok.im in the ta and im doing just that it shouldnt be an mo assesing your mental health via a peice of paper it should be assesed allot better than that but they dont see it that way. take rejection with a pinch of salt as theres always a way around it. thats if you get rejected. best of luck

Swinger

zeitgeist whos to say that YOU wouldnt start endangering your mates lives if you were in a position like that? clearly you see it that once a mental health case always a mental health case. would you say the same that people who use drugs and go clean are always drug users or people who obsesively steal things and then stop are always theives.

War Hero

Old-Salt

Good luck, with the current state of undermanning i'd say you have a good chance. If they do just send you a letter saying no keep pushing, get down to the careers office and i'm sure they'll help.
If all else fails you could always run away to the Legion! They won't be getting their mitts on your GP! And you get to learn French!